


Blood Moon

by EmmaraldNightmare



Series: Blood Moon Series [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Blue helps the dark sanses, Body Horror, Bonding, Broken Bones, Candytale, Child Death, Chocolate, Cooking, Crying, Dark Sanses, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fighting, Gen, Healing, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Magic, Major Character Injury, Mentions past insanity, Misunderstandings, Night Terrors, Origami, Paperwork, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Puns & Word Play, Self-Harm, Sleepy Cuddles, Vomiting, carving, first fic, giftmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:47:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24275332
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmmaraldNightmare/pseuds/EmmaraldNightmare
Summary: After Blue was kidnapped by Error, he was introduced to the Dark Sanses and the secret balance of the multiverse. How creation needed to be balanced by destruction and positivity by negativity.Since then, he has led a double life as both Blue of the Star Sanses and Bluescreen of the Dark Sanses, helping both sides and trying to keep the balance in his own way.It couldn’t last. He couldn’t keep this from Stretch forever.
Series: Blood Moon Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1783549
Comments: 27
Kudos: 170





	1. Bluescreen

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Its_Just_me](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Its_Just_me/gifts), [Tereox_X](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tereox_X/gifts), [SkylerSkyhigh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkylerSkyhigh/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Two Faced](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16502078) by [SkylerSkyhigh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkylerSkyhigh/pseuds/SkylerSkyhigh), [Tereox_X](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tereox_X/pseuds/Tereox_X). 



> This is inspired by ‘Two faced,’ a fic which was written by SkylerSkyhigh & Tereox_X as part of a challenge from Its_Just_me. The basic concept of Bluescreen and his appearance are influenced by that fic. However, the characters here (especially Blue and Stretch) do not have the exact same personalities due to differences in past experiences and my own interpretations. This was also not meant as a direct continuation of that fic. 
> 
> I wanted to give love to those three because I enjoy their work and they provided the spark of ‘what if’ that became this fic. If you like this, please support them.
> 
> This is my first fic so any criticism is welcome.

Stretch lounged on the couch in his and Blue’s living room. He had just got back from Muffet’s and was waiting for his brother to come home. A loud crash rang out from upstairs as something fell into Blue’s room. Stretch put his honey on a side table and headed up. That must be him, Blue wasn’t always great at opening portals to other AUs. Stretch wasn’t completely sure why the Star Sanses had agreed to teach him how to do that when he always opened them above things rather than next to them. Blue was going to get hurt doing that eventually.

Stretch opened the door to his brother’s room and almost choked on his cigarette. A skeleton that looked like a living shadow was lying on Blue’s bed. Dark fabrics made up most of the other’s outfit; from his boots and pants to a black bandana wrapped around his arm. A dirty deep blue scarf trailed like a polluted river down his back. The grey shirt was the only drop of colour that distinguished him from the darkness around him. A belt barely concealing knives, bombs and a range of other weapons was strapped around his hips. 

Ink and Dream had warned him and Blue about this one, Bluescreen. According to the artist, he was a murderous monster who acted as an assassin for the Dark Sanses. It had always been difficult for anyone to catch him or even get an accurate description as destruction followed this skeleton wherever he went. He rarely left survivors; any that were saved from their dying AUs were normally babbling messes who could only give a vague recollection of what they had experienced between the screaming. Still, what they did know matched the skeleton in front of him perfectly. 

One of Bluescreen’s femurs was cracked and an ugly red paint stain covered his left arm. The skeleton clutched his ribs as he texted furiously with his right uninjured hand. Stretch summoned a gaster baster and pulled out his phone. 

“Don’t move friend, you may be fast but, I can assure you that I can fire at least five of these things before you open a portal. Then again, with that leg I doubt you could go anywhere anyway,” Stretch warned as he typed in Ink’s number. He hoped the ditsy creator wouldn’t drag his feet so he could get this criminal out of his house before Blue got home.

A panicked expression crossed Bluescreen’s face as he noticed Stretch in the doorway.

“PAPY! NO! DON’T CALL INK!” he screamed.

Stretch’s phalange paused over the call button as he heard the other’s voice. This time he took in the flickering blue star shaped eye lights and the familiar chubby cute cheeks he loved to tease the other about, which were red and puffy from the tears running down his face. The skeleton had also curled in on himself in a way that Stretch recognised from countless times he had comforted the other during thunderstorms when the two were still babybones.

“Sans!? What are you wearing? And where were you!?” Stretch asked as his brother sunk into himself and tried to edge under the covers. 

Stretch removed Blue’s tattered clothes and tried to get a good idea of what had happened. The injuries looked worst up close. The red paint had a slimy consistency which burned like fire when Stretch poked it. An uneven crack in his brother’s femur threatened to snap the bone in two and Stretch found six puncture wounds piercing Blue’s ribs. They throbbed with an unnatural yellow light that turned Stretch pale. 

“I’m going to go get the first aid kit, okay bro,” Stretch said. Blue nodded. 

However, as soon as the taller skeleton finished speaking a black portal opened under Blue. An inky tentacle slid through to seize his waist. Stretch grabbed his brother’s uninjured limbs and wrested against the gloopy appendage. It was like pulling against an anaconda, not moving an inch as he kicked and screamed at it. Stretch gasped and Blue gave a tired smile as the two sunk into the darkness.

\-----

Stretch fell flat on his face into a dark living room. He groaned as he lifted his skull.

“What the hell?” he said. Stretch flinched as he realized his arms were empty. He must have let go of Blue when the two dropped in here. Stretch scrambled to his feet and frantically peered around the room. 

“I hadn’t expected a hitch hiker.” A smooth voice echoed to Stretch’s right. He twisted to face a skeleton covered in black tar. The gloop ran down the other’s body in thick waves. Six tentacles identical to the one that had brought him here extended from the skeleton’s back. Four swayed lazily behind the skeleton, while the last two cradled Blue against his chest.

”Put him down Nightmare,” Stretch growled. 

“Gladly,” Nightmare said. Blue moaned in his sleep as the tentacles pulled him away from the Dark Sanses and placed him on an old couch. 

“So, the double life’s over then?” Nightmare smirked as he watched Stretch the same way he might a particularly interesting insect that he had found on his wall. A knowing delight sparkled in his one teal eye light. “We always told him he should try to be honest with his family, it’s not fun finding out the hard way is it?”

Stretch’s attention was torn between his brother resting peacefully on the couch and the monster in front of him. “What did you do to Sans?”

“Nothing, but these wounds look pretty bad,” Nightmare said. He held his hand over Blue and activated his magic.

“NO!” Stretch cried, diving at Nightmare. Four tentacles grabbed his limbs, cutting off the magic that had been gathering in his hands. He dangled helplessly in the air as Nightmare’s magic coated Blue’s bones. Cracks knitted back together, the burn on his arm faded to a pale pink and the puncture wounds shrank in on themselves. Blue’s breathing became easier; he gave a grateful whine as the chilly energy washed over him.

“That’s all I can do for now.” Nightmare pulled back giving Blue some space. “He’ll need a few more sessions to get back up to full strength and prevent it from getting any worse.”

“No,” Stretch snarled as Nightmare’s tentacles lowered him back onto the ground but, didn’t retreat from his body. “You can’t keep him here and I’ll be damned if I let you touch him again.”

Nightmare glared at Stretch. “What do you think made those marks?” 

A red paint stain and puncture wounds shining with bright yellow magic. Stretch knew whose attacks could cause that. He didn’t want to think about it.

“What would happen to your brother if they found out about his little secret?” Nightmare asked.

Stretch’s mind cruelly dragged him back to after Blue had been taken by Error. The eerie silence of an empty house had been a physical weight on his bones. His soul had thrashed in his chest like a trapped animal while his immobile body wasted away. How many times had he collapsed in the middle of Blue’s room because he had forgotten to eat or sleep for the last week? How many times was that the only way to shut up the screaming should haves in his skull? In that vacuum, nothing he did had held any meaning because nothing he did could bring his brother back. In that abyss, he wasn’t even sure if he had deserved him back.

“What about your AU? Can you think of anyone there who can heal the magic of a God of creation or a guardian of the multiverse? Can you guarantee no one would see him like this or let news of his condition slip to anyone else?” 

Stretch remained silent; the answer to both questions was definitely no. Nightmare carefully scooped Blue up in his arms and walked down the hall with Stretch trailing behind him, tentacles still binding the taller skeleton’s ankles and wrists. The three entered a fully decorated double guest room. Nightmare lowered Blue onto a plush bed and tucked the small Sans in.

Blue opened an eye socket. “I’m sorry; I was trying to open the portal to here,”

“Shhh, don’t worry. I’m sorry I took so long to answer your distress signal,” Nightmare said as he stroked Blue’s skull. Blue nuzzled the other’s hand and lay back into the soft pillows.

Nightmare dropped Stretch into the other bed and left the room. A door lock clicked closed behind him.


	2. Horror & Cross

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stretch speaks to his brother and meets the gang.

It was 6:00 pm the next day when Blue finally woke up. Someone had knocked at the door twice earlier in the day to invite Stretch to breakfast and lunch. He had ignored them until they went away.

“Hi Papy” Blue smiled awkwardly as he hugged his brother. The small skeleton immediately winced, prompting Stretch to push him back into the bed.

“Hey bro, you look better.” Stretch said.

“Yeah! I’m still pretty sore but, I’ve got over worse. Nighty’s magic is strong stuff.” Blue grinned.

Stretch cringed at the nickname, he pushed forward regardless. “Why do you help them Sans? Why be Bluescreen?”

“Well, after Error introduced me to them we got to be great friends. They’re not the monsters Ink and Dream always make them out to be. They’re killers but, they’re also great fun, compassionate and they truly care about each other and me,” Blue explained.

“Sans they can’t be good compassionate people if they dust others just for fun, that’s basic morality.” Stretch sighed. 

He couldn’t believe he needed to explain this to his brother. He knew Blue was naive sometimes but, this was too much. He had briefly entertained the idea that Ink and Dream were right about Nightmare, that his powers allowed him to control others as his puppets if he got hold of them. However, he had discarded that theory. If it was true he wouldn’t be here talking with Blue right now, he would be with Nightmare kneeling at the dark kings feet. Stars knew that Nightmare had enough of an opportunity to try that last night or anytime he had been in here since then. 

No, this misunderstanding had to come from Blue. His brother had always strived to see the best in others but, this made it easy for people to lie to him. If the Dark Sanses had spun him a pretty story about having a ‘good’ reason for everything they did, Blue would surely believe that over the idea that anyone could be bad because they _were_ bad.

Blue squirmed on the bed. “It’s not for no reason; the Dark Sanses are responsible for keeping the balance in the multiverse. Ink has a bad habit of making way too many new AUs in a multiverse which has a limited amount of space for all of them. If the multiverse gets too full it would be disastrous for everyone.” 

There it was. “Sounds like a lie to justify their crimes, bro.” Stretch said. Blue glanced downwards and groaned.

A delicious smell wafted into the room as the two were talking. Blue’s stomach growled in response.

“Food!” Blue cheered. “Come on Papy, you’ll get it once you meet them!” Blue charged at the door, easily using blue magic to flick the lock on the other side open.

\-----

The kitchen was alive with the chatter of the Dark Sanses. Killer was being scolded by Nightmare for playing with his knives at the dinner table. Cross was trying to convince Horror that he had been extra good and thus, deserved to have more dessert tonight. Dust was the only one not joining in, choosing instead to glare daggers at the new addition to their table.

Blue was staring at the plate stacked high with juicy ribs in front of him. The smell radiating from them was savoury and rich, his mouth was watering. When he reached for one, Stretch took the outstretched hand and placed in back in his lap.

“Don’t, we can sneak something else later,” he whispered to his whimpering brother. Nightmare paused in his lecture and turned to the Swaps. “What’s wrong? Do you want something else?” he asked. Confusion crossed his expression before he turned to Blue. “Is your brother a vegan?”

Stretch scoffed at the dark skeleton and continued his hunger strike. 

Dust sneered. “Isn’t it obvious? He thinks we’re trying to poison them.” Stretch’s gaze snapped to the dusty skeleton. 

“Papy? Do you really?” Blue asked. Stretch recoiled at his brother’s downcast expression before giving a firm nod. He jumped out of his chair as an axe buried itself beside his plate. His vision was filled with a blinding red glow as Horror shoved his face into Stretch’s, the single eye light flickering dangerously. 

“If I wanted you dead I would have planted my axe in your skull the second you walked into my kitchen, not contaminated my cooking,” Horror said. He took a rib from Stretch’s plate and placed it into his own mouth whole. The meat slipped off smoothly as he pulled the bone back out and discarded it. 

“Eat,” Horror ordered, pushing the plate towards Stretch. Stretch’s gaze wandered between the murderous sans and the ribs. Eventually, deciding on the option less likely to earn him an axe in the chest, he raised one to his teeth. The tender pork instantly melted on his tongue, releasing a flood of rich juices that burst from the meat with each bite. The surprising mix of sugary and salty flavours was wonderfully addictive. With his hunger awakened, he ate greedily savouring the taste of the thick sauce on his phalanges. He only stopped after realizing there was nothing left to devour.

“Good?” A wide grin crossed Horror’s face. Heat engulfed Stretch’s skull, he glanced away.

“More?” Horror asked. Stretch hadn’t eaten since yesterday. His stomach groaned.

“Yes, please,” he muttered.

\-----

The Swap brothers had resumed their conversation in the guest room when someone knocked on their door. 

‘Come back later,’ Stretch said.

“Papy! That’s rude! Come in,” Blue called. Cross stuck his skull around the door. His arms were full of various crafting supplies. He clambered onto Blue’s bed and dumped everything onto the sheets.

“Hi Blue, I brought something to help keep your spirits up while you’re stuck in bed,” Cross said. He picked up a sheet of paper and gently folded it into a white frog. Blue’s eye lights glittered as Cross made another, slowly explaining the process. Soon, the bed overflowed with paper cranes, butterflies, frogs and fish. Stretch leaned over his brother and looked on fondly; he wasn’t as concerned about this gang member. Blue had told him all about how Cross was an oddity among the Dark Sanses. 

The youngest member of the gang hadn’t dusted a single soul and as a result, he stood out as having significantly less LOVE than his teammates. Unlike the others, he hadn’t lost himself to madness or violence before joining Nightmare. 

Cross’ AU was gone. It had disappeared out from under him, leaving him alone in a white void. With no way out and no one to talk to, the black and white skeleton had slowly withdrawn into himself. When Nightmare came along Cross accused him of being one of the illusions his own mind had conjured up to give him some semblance of company. Upon realizing that the other was indeed real, Cross had broken down begging for Nightmare to take him somewhere, anywhere else. 

“What are you making?” 

Stretch was jolted from his thoughts as Cross pointed to the model in his hands. Stretch raised the object to eye level. He had absent-mindedly rolled a simple paper cigarette.

“You’re supposed to be giving up that habit!” Blue said, snatching the offending item away.

Stretch shot Blue a sly smile. “Awww, you _ori-got-me_ all wrong bro.” He took the model back and stuck it between his teeth. “This is just a _paper thin_ imitation.”

“Yeah, we’re just _folding around_.” Cross giggled and tried to replicate what Stretch had made.

Blue only groaned in response. “Noooooo, Papy don’t corrupt Cross.”

“You’re right, hey Cross don’t smoke,” Stretch said. “It’s bad for you. The only reason I can do it is because I’m a magical skeleton without lungs.”

A puzzled expression crossed Cross’ face as he looked down at his own bones, he looked like he had just been told the sky was green. While he was distracted Stretch seized the fake cigarette. Cross frowned but, didn’t ask for it back. He turned to Blue.

‘Want to see what else I brought?’ he asked. Before the other could answer, Cross emptied a jackets worth of chocolate onto the bed. 

“Wow, Horror gave in then?” 

“Nope, raided the fridge when he wasn’t looking.” Cross smirked. His face immediately fell when the chocolate bars lit up with blue magic and stuck themselves to the ceiling. 

“Now the way I see it kiddo, you got this chocolate by questionable means and after what we just talked about it’d be pretty irresponsible of me to let you eat something this unhealthy,” Stretch said, taking a pretend drag on the origami cigarette. “Also, I don’t want to get caught up in the sugar rush.”

“I’m not a kid,” Cross complained. Blue fought to stay in the bed as Cross jumped on it, trying to reach his prize. 

“Ok then, how about a game?” Stretch asked. Cross stopped and looked at him curiously. 

Stretch leaned forward. “I’ll hide these. If you can find them all, I’ll double your loot.” 

Cross beamed, he bolted from the room to look for a large bag to hold his inevitable winnings. 

“Hey bro, open a portal for me,” Stretch said as soon as the door slammed shut. Blue gave his brother a hard stare but, he summoned a small window to Underfell. Sure enough, as soon as it opened the chocolate bars flew through. Someone cheered loudly on the other side.

“I’m pretty sure that was cheating.” Blue sulked.

“Never said where I’d hide them.” Stretch smiled. Cross was a sweet kid. Maybe, he could convince him to leave with them after Blue was healed.

\-----

Blue stood proudly over the pulverized remains of what used to be vegetables. 

“Blue, you need to carefully chop the ingredients.” Horror sighed. 

“Alphys always makes tacos like this,” Blue said happily. Stretch snorted, he wondered if the reconstruction work on the captain’s house had been finished yet. Blue had been trying to teach Horror how to cook tacos for the last hour with questionable success. The bloody skeleton hadn’t acknowledged Stretch’s presence at the kitchen table in all that time, unless he counted the occasional scowl. Still, after what Blue had told him yesterday Stretch sort of understood. 

Horror came from a starving AU. His human had passed through the barrier alone and left the monsters to rot. His Undyne horded the Underground’s resources, including any scrap of food she could get her fins on to fuel her obsession of ravaging the surface. Widespread starvation among the citizens had slowly led to daily murder and cannibalism becoming as natural as breathing to most of the residents. Horror had spent years in that crazed hell hopelessly praying for his human to return. When Nightmare found him he had even given up on that. He was about to dust from hunger at his sentry post, welcoming his end if only to escape the agony in his stomach. 

This was the first time Stretch, Blue and Horror and had been alone together since the incident at dinner last night. Blue had claimed he felt better and really wanted to get out of bed for a while. However, the expectant look he kept giving his brother made the real reason for this venture very clear.

Stretch cleared his throat. Horror continued cleaning the vegetable juice from Blue’s clothes.

“I’m sorry,” Stretch mumbled. Horror opened the fridge and took out more ingredients.

“You don’t have to believe me but, I am. I shouldn’t have accused you of poisoning us. We’re going to be spending at least the next few days together and I’d rather we didn’t each spend it waiting for the other to stick a knife in our back, truce?”

Horror paused and gave a small nod. Stretch relaxed. Making enemies here was not a good idea. 

“What did you put in the rib sauce anyway, it was amazing,” Stretch asked. 

Horror fiddled with a carrot, gazing at it intensely rather than the other skeleton. “…Cola…” 

Blue’s squeal sent the vegetable flying. “That’s incredible Horror, Papy adores sweet things! Did you make that recipe just for him?” 

Horror’s skull burned scarlet. He went back to scooping fillings into the waiting taco shells. While Horror was busy Blue bounced to the cupboard to grab a bottle of honey. 

“Why do you need that?” Horror asked. 

“Papy, loves honey, I use it in everything when cooking at home!” Blue explained. 

Horror tilted his skull; his features scrunched as he tried to understand this logic. “Everything?”

Stretch chuckled at the sight; he had stopped questioning Blue’s cooking long ago. “Come on Horror, I thought you were open to a little experimentation.” 

“But, if you use that they’ll basically be dessert tacos,” Horror said. He flinched as Blue seized his hands, star shaped eye lights shining mischievously.

“Great idea!” Blue exclaimed. Horror stood in shock as Stretch laughed into the table. 

\-----

Stretch and Blue ate dinner while happily discussing their insane creation with Horror. At the other end of the table, Killer poked hesitantly at the strange mix of minced beef, vegetables, whipped cream and blueberries on his plate. Dust was nowhere to be seen and Cross was getting more of the meal on his face than in it. If he slouched any further forward Stretch was certain he’d fall asleep right there in the sliced kiwis.

He had heard the earlier commotion as Nightmare spent the afternoon chasing Cross while the skeleton turned the castle upside down, yelling something about eating chocolate until he was sick. He popped a strawberry into his mouth and wondered if Nightmare was regretting leaving him unsupervised.


	3. Error & Killer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stretch leaves the Castle with the Dark Sanses.

Blue and Horror rolled on the couch, laughing at a bundle of blankets. A trapped Cross struggled within the layers, shouting at the skeleton sitting on top of him that this was not how you won a wrestling match. Stretch casually twirled his paper cigarette as he lay back on the angry blanket roll. He mimed falling asleep and waited for the other to tire himself out.

A white flickering portal opened a few steps in front of him. Error stormed out, jabbing at his phone. The object almost tumbled out of his hand several times from the force.

“WhErE’s NiGhTmArE? I NeEd To AsK hIm AbOuT tHiS mEsSaGe, NoW!” he snapped.

Before he tripped over Stretch’s outstretched femurs, the glitch froze. 

“Hi there _friend_ , how’ve you been,” Stretch asked, grinning sadistically.

Error’s glitches blinked slowly as he frowned at Stretch. Error looked to Blue and Horror, then around the living room as if he was checking he was in the correct AU, or even the correct multiverse. Finally, he returned his attention to Stretch and seemed to reach a decision regarding his presence.

“NoPe,” he said and walked right back into the anti-void.

\-----

Stretch helped Horror strap on a third backpack. He couldn’t help but think this was a little much. Horror was barely recognizable under the mass of sacks, ropes and jars. His normal clothes had been replaced by whatever he had found around the castle with the most pockets. The result was some weird parody of a mad survivalist.

Dust and Cross had unfurled a map on the living room floor. Sounds of the occasional argument or agreement drifted over from the huddled pair. 

He had been hesitant to leave Blue here at first, even if it was only for an hour. However, when he had stepped into their room Blue was snuggled up in bed snoring into a pillow, his bones glowing softly from a recent healing session. Stretch couldn’t bring himself to destroy that picture, so he carefully shut the door and left him to it. If nothing else, his soul felt lighter knowing that Blue was able to calm down and get some rest here. At home, that was always a fight…that Stretch usually lost.

“Ready?” Horror asked, handing Stretch a long crimson cloak. Nightmare had insisted on this. He had agreed to let Stretch leave the AU when the others had pestered him relentlessly about needing an extra pair of hands. However, that didn’t mean he didn’t include conditions. Be alert, stay with the others and remember the AU they would be travelling to was in contact with the rest of the multiverse. So, stay away from the residents. 

Stretch wasn’t sure if that had been a genuine warning that he could be recognized if he wasn’t careful or a thinly veiled threat to behave. All the same, he took the hooded cloak and wrapped it around himself. Killer, seeing everyone was finally prepared, opened the portal. 

\------

The small group passed through the gateway and stood on the other side in silent anticipation. The Dark Sanses had been here before, but now they shared a warm smile waiting on Stretch’s reaction. Stretch craned his skull to fully take in the view. 

Hundreds of candy cane trees reached to the sky. The light streaming through their swirling red and white branches bathed the area in a soft pink glow, as if the forest existed during a perpetual sunrise. The area was blanketed in thick coating of whipped cream which dripped lazily from the branches above him and sprinkled his cloak. A cold breeze carried a minty scent that mixed mouth-wateringly with the sweet scent of the forest. Here and there, sugar mice poked their heads out of their burrows to examine the strange group. 

Stretch stood in awe; he had never thought anything like this could have existed in the multiverse. 

Giggling at his expression, the Dark Sanses scattered. Dust happily shoved cream into his mouth by the handful before chasing Cross further into the sugared woods. Killer watched the others from a distance, chewing on a mint leaf he had plucked from a pink pine tree. 

Horror had the liveliest reaction to the sight. The bloody skeleton darted rapidly from one treat to another. He scooped up fallen candy branches, pop candy rocks, marshmallow mushrooms anything he could get his hands on with an unrestrained joy. The only time he stopped was to give his discoveries a quick bite, his eye light sparkling at the sweet taste. The overwhelming excitement was no different than a small child in a candy store, which Stretch had to admit was a pretty accurate description of the AU they were visiting. 

His soul ached at the sight. How could an AU like this exist in the same multiverse as Horrortale? Was Ink really so blind to his creation’s struggles that he didn’t notice the unfairness of it? Or did he just not care?

In any event, at least Horror could enjoy it now and bring back as much as he could carry. He filled his own hoodie pockets with the various desserts and helped Horror to tie a few of the larger fallen branches into bundles. The candy canes were heavier than he had expected. He hid a chuckle at Horror’s expression when the other sunk into the thick cream snow under their weight. 

As the two discussed the flavor of a particularity sour pop rock a stampede of footsteps echoed through the trees. Horror and Killer tensed at the noise, turning to the direction it was fast approaching from. They unsheathed their weapons and took on fighting stances with trained precision. As the sound drew closer Stretch could make out angry shouts, manic barking and…laughter? Oh no.

Dust and Cross burst through the trees giggling like hyenas; their arms filled with candy decorated documents. The two were closely pursued by a cluster of dog guards. Stretch had to smile; it seemed the sweet nature of this AU also extended to its residents. 

The hounds maintained their usual white fur. However, it was partly coated with a sticky, red jam that ran drown their faces and dotted their cheeks with strawberry seeds. The traditional armour and shields had been replaced with golden brown biscuit with a cut out heart motif. 

“Why did you bring the jammie dog-gers here?!” Horror yelled.

“They had an alarm this time,” the two said. They joined their team mates and turned to face the guards together.

The Dark Sanses danced around the dogs more than they fought them, easily avoiding the swiping attacks. Horror plucked a shield out of the paws of the AUs Lesser Dog and took a bite out of it. “Needs more time in the oven,” he taunted.

Dogamy grinned smugly as he managed to land a hit on Cross. However, that distraction allowed Killer to strike from his left. Dogaressa was having no better luck with Dust. The skeleton moved around her jawbreaker axe as casually as he might a mildly annoying butterfly. He stuck his tongue out at her while weaving. When she growled at him Dust only smirked; he picked up his pace as her furious swings increased in speed.

Stretch stayed near the tree line closely watching the exchange. The gang was clearly more interested in teasing and frustrating the dogs than hurting them, so he had stood back and let this play out. Nevertheless, he was ready to step in and assist the guards in the event that any of the Dark Sanses turned violent. When Cross’ knife drew dangerously close to Dogamy’s throat for the second time, he moved forward.

A sharp line of pain sliced down his spine. He winced as he turned to his attacker. The towering form of this AUs Greater Dog jumped back and growled, pointing a caramel spear in his direction. He should have noticed someone was missing from that group of guards. Still, he let out a sigh of relief as he observed the panting pooch. He had met Greater Dogs before. 

He beckoned to Greater Dog. It bounded towards him flecking slobber into his face. 

He reached out to pet the Greater Dog. It bounded towards him faster. 

He threw a whipped cream ball for the dog to fetch. Greater Dog reared back and drove its spear directly at Stretch’s soul.

Stretch had less than a second to think before a knife slashed Greater Dog from the side. The hound gave a yelp as its HP plummeted into the single digits. Terrified, it turned tail and fled. 

Killer emerged from the shadows, staring at him with a blank calculating expression. Stretch’s body tensed. He had been trying to avoid Killer ever since he had entered the castle.

Killer had lost himself in his AU. His human had put him through genocide after genocide. They never let anything change; they never gave him any hope that the next time would be different. As a result, he had sunk beyond the depression that all Sanses experienced and became numb. At last, his human offered him a way out of the cycle. If Killer would spend the next few resets helping them dust everyone, they would stop. 

With no other option available to save himself and his home, he accepted the offer. At the end of it all, the human had kept their end of the bargain. However, they left him with the guilt of everything he had done. 

Killer began to reset and perform genocides alone in a desperate effort to silence his crushing remorse and return to that numbness. By the time he met Nightmare those feelings had become solid, pouring out of his body as endless thick black tears. His only condition for joining the king of negative emotions had been for Nightmare to take his away.

While Stretch’s sympathies went out to the other he couldn’t hide a shiver as the murderous skeleton approached. Killer’s phalanges still fiddled with his knife, restlessly twisting the weapon in his grip. The empty eye lights were a void, revealing nothing but a cold unknowable darkness. Stretch’s magic unconsciously flared.

The guards had fled. If Killer attacked now, Stretch would be facing the entire gang alone. His body twitched with the desire to look behind him. However, turning his injured back on this skeleton would be suicide. He was facing a being devoid of anything. How was he supposed to reason with an emotionless husk?

Killer handed him a cookie.

Stretch’s magic dissipated when the snack was placed in his palm. While he was piecing his scrambled thoughts back together Killer patted him on the shoulder and wandered off to check on the others. 

When his brain started working again, Stretch mentally face palmed himself at the realization that he must have looked like an idiot staring at a cookie for 20 straight seconds. He took a bite; the cookie sent a cool tingle down his spine as the healing magic within knitted his bones back together. He closed his eye sockets, enjoying the sensation.

A whipped cream ball smacking into his face interrupted the moment. Dust stood a few steps away wiping his phalanges on his shirt. The amusement which had shone from him during the battle was long gone, replaced by a sour grimace. Without letting Stretch speak, Dust shot him a scowl and took a shortcut back to the others.

\-----

Killer had been sitting on the floor watching Stretch for the last 20 minutes. Stretch shuddered, he had got slightly more used to the other’s gaze since that morning but, it was still unnerving. Everyone else was already asleep and the eerie quiet that shrouded the castle wasn’t helping.

“Hey, got a bone to pick with me?” He asked.

Killer shifted his attention from what he was working on. He hesitated for a few seconds but, after a moment of thought he held up a tiny wooden sculpture. It showed a scene from today’s outing. Stretch was holding Horror on his shoulders while the other was reaching for an unseen ice cream pine cone. 

The details were breath-taking. Killer had captured everything from Horror’s outstretched tongue to the way Stretch’s phalanges were on the verge of tickling the over eager Sans. However, what surprised him the most was the expression Killer had placed on his own carved skull. 

A gentle smile graced its features; his mirror image looked to Horror with an attentive protectiveness that he had never extended to anyone other than his own brother. Its eyes were wide with a shared delight at Horror’s discovery and a barely masked longing to try it with him. The wooden carving shone with a peaceful happiness that he had believed he would never feel again after Blue had disappeared into the anti-void. 

Was that really how he had appeared in that moment or was it how Killer had seen him? 

“That’s pretty good,” Stretch said. He pulled himself upright on the couch and held his hand out. “Can I see?”

Killer relaxed at the honest praise. He moved closer and freely offered his creation. As Stretch cupped the base of the carving in his palm his phalanges brushed the underside of Killer’s wrist. He drew away sharply when they encountered a warm sticky substance. 

Killer instantly scrambled backwards. However, Stretch had seen it in the brief moment before Killer had been able to yank his sleeve over the area. Thick marrow oozed from several slices along the underside of the other’s bones. The injuries looked too fresh to have been made in the earlier battle, perhaps only an hour old, less.

“Did Nightmare do that?!” Stretch asked as he seized Killer’s wrist, being careful not to aggravate the wounds. Killer shook his skull furiously, trying to pull away.

Once he could see them up close, he recognized the marks. He had been staring at the same slices in wonder only seconds ago, when they had been in wood. Here and there, the cuts in Killer’s wrist appeared to be trying to form a pattern, as if the skeleton had attempted to carve himself into something more pleasing. 

Stretch tenderly pulled Killer in closer so he could hold the limb more comfortably. Killer reluctantly gave in and let Stretch clean the wrist with a cloth from a nearby first aid kit. Other than a small wince after some disinfectant was applied, he remained quiet throughout the process. Stretch tied a white bandage around the bone and tucked it into Killer’s sleeve, making sure it wasn’t too obvious. Killer rotated the joint; his body unwound as he affectionately stroked the bandage with a sad smile. 

“I’m here if you want to talk,” Stretch said. He picked up the model that had fallen in the confusion, one of Horror’s arms had snapped when it hit the floor. “Do you want help fixing it?”

Killer’s skull paused half way through a nod. “Yes…thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the meeting with Error was so short but, it was the only thing that made sense in my head.
> 
> Candytale belongs to BabyAbbieStar. It’s a beautiful AU and I recommend having a look at their Tumblr/DeviantART. I couldn’t find any artwork of the dog guards from Candytale so I made up these ones based on a bad pun.


	4. Dust

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stretch can't sleep, neither can Dust.

Stretch lay awake in bed. Normally, sleeping wherever he wanted wouldn’t be much of a problem. However, he was very aware his time here was running out. Blue was healed and the two would be able to return to Underswap tomorrow. He wasn’t sure how to feel about any of this. On one hand, he would be happy to get back home, back to his house, friends and normal routine. On the other, he felt uncomfortable leaving Horror, Cross and Killer behind after the time he had spent with them and how he had seen them act together. The Dark Sanses were unconventional but, could he really just forget everything and leave them behind? Surely they deserved more than that. Stretch pulled himself out of bed and resolved to talk to Nightmare about it tomorrow. 

Horror had found more honey in the back of the kitchen cupboard and told him he was welcome to it. Maybe, a few bottles would be what he needed to get back to sleep. 

\-------

Stretch walked into a wall for the fifth time. He couldn’t see a metre in front of his face and didn’t trust himself to try a shortcut when he no longer knew which part of the castle he had wandered into. He felt around and tried to hold back a shiver as his phalanges brushed against what he hoped wasn’t a spider web. His other arm was wrapped around his body, his teeth chattered. Yes, he had heard the rumors that Nightmare’s aura had made this AU a desolate place, devoid of any joy or natural sunlight. That didn’t mean they couldn’t invest in a few more lamps and a proper heating system. At this point, he wouldn’t be surprised if this place was haunted too.

“Pap…Pap,”

Stars, he hadn’t been serious! 

“Papyrus, where are you?” The voice echoed around the corridor. Stretch collected himself and tried to locate the source. Eventually, his hands located the frame of a door. He carefully opened it and peeked inside. 

He had never been in here before. The smell of chlorine, bleach and other chemicals scorched his nose and stuck in the back of his throat. The walls were barely visible under a mass of weapons, ropes, strange notes and diagrams. A work bench under a window softly glowed as the light from a range of colorful vials illuminated the area. 

Dust lay on a plain bed in the back of the room, sweating and moaning in his sleep. 

Stretch crept closer, trying to avoid any smoking patches of carpet. He sat on the bed and shook the other gently. “Wake up, it’s just a nightmare.”

Dust’s eye sockets snapped open. He tackled Stretch and screamed into his chest “I’m sorry Pap! I’m sorry I killed you but, it’s okay you’re here! You’re alive! PLEASE I DON’T WANT TO DO THIS ANYMORE!”

Blue had explained Dust too. Dust had murdered his AU. Like Killer, his human only found pleasure in genocide. Hundreds of resets went by where Dust stuck to the code. He watched his world be destroyed and did nothing until there was no one except him and the human, when winning no longer mattered because there was nothing left to save. The guilt, the pain, the suffering, it all grew to be too much. He became determined to do something to stop it. Yet, his pitiful stats hadn’t been enough. He had to get stronger if he wanted to stand any chance, he had to gain LOVE. 

His AU had panicked as he turned on them, dusting as many monsters as he could, including his Papyrus. Unwilling to accept what he had done Dust began to hallucinate his brother. The phantom haunted Dust, telling him he had to keep killing, that he had to keep gaining LV so he could defeat the human badly enough that they would never come back. Dust thought it would be fine, if he took the human’s soul he could reset and bring everyone back. 

However, the voice in his head convinced him after every reset that the human wasn’t gone. They would come back more powerful than him, that Dust had to keep killing to stay the strongest. Nightmare had found him alone in an AU filled with dust, waiting for a human who was long dead to come back and fight him. 

Stretch shook Dust harder. Dust’s eye lights cleared. He tumbled backwards off the bed.

“What are you doing in my room?” he asked.

“You were having a night terror, I came to help,” Stretch said. “You’re welcome.”

Dust bared his teeth and backed into the wall. “I don’t need your help.”

“Well…you’re welcome anyway,” Stretch said. He stood up and turned towards the door. He halted as he heard Dust continue, “You don’t belong here.” 

“Yeah buddy, I got my own room.” Stretch’s eye flared at the other’s tone. 

“No. Here, in the castle. We don’t need some happy go lucky Papyrus hanging around us,” Dust growled. “You’ll get yourself killed!”

Stretch shrugged. “Been there, done that. It isn’t much fun and I can’t imagine doing it as many times as you have.” Dust glared at Stretch.

“Honestly, I can’t even say I haven’t considered ending the kid for good myself after a few of their bad days,” Stretch said. 

Dust started shaking again. “Prove it, you dirty liar.”

Had Stretch heard that right? The ground exploded with a sea of bones. A quick shortcut was the only thing that saved him losing his legs. “What the hell are you doing?” he screamed.

The other didn’t seem to hear. A flurry of bones scraped past Stretch’s ribs as he dived across the room. More would have impaled his femurs if he hadn’t managed to clamber behind the work bench. Glass vials shattered above him, raining chemicals that burned as they splattered his body. 

“Stop dodging!” Dust yelled. “That won’t save you!” 

Stretch gasped as blue magic sent him flying into a wall. Dust flung him like a rag-doll showing no regard for any of the furniture his victim’s body destroyed. The room began to blur in front of Stretch’s eyes. His bones cried in protest as several shattered under the thrashing. Finally, the relentless punishment stopped when Dust slammed him into the door and let him slide down into a broken heap at the bottom.

He lay on his back trying not to put any pressure on his ruined ribs. The room slowly swam back into focus, various shapes and colors pulled themselves into the form of a looming Dust. 

The other gazed down at him with a heavy expression. “Just go.” 

Blue bones surrounded Dust the second he turned his back. Stretch’s body ached trying to maintain his magic in his ruined state. Dust only shrugged and tapped his foot, impatiently waiting for the attack to vanish. 

Ragged pants stung Stretch’s throat as he pulled himself into a crouch. He gritted his teeth, focused his remaining energy in his legs…and dived through the blue bones. He may as well have jumped through fire. His own magic scorched the already destroyed limbs, inflaming the exposed marrow as if he had bathed them in lighter fluid. 

Dust stood in wide eyed surprise as Stretch’s radius was wrapped around his throat and a summoned bone blade was pressed into his chest. The weapon stopped short of piercing his soul. However, a teasing jab confirmed that this hadn’t been completely taken off the table if Dust tried to pull anything. 

A wide grin broke across Dust’s face. “Do it,” he laughed; the moonlight illuminated his crazed expression. 

Stretch’s hand twitched for a moment. He wouldn’t be able to kill Dust, not with the others determination. But, he could hurt him. A bone directly to the soul would be painful beyond measure, like having your chest sliced wide open…by a knife. He looked down at the skeleton in his grasp. 

Despite his bold words, Dust was tense. The small Sans shivered, trembling legs barely holding him upright. His eye sockets were screwed shut, waiting for the strike.

The bone disappeared. 

“What are you doing?” Dust asked. 

“I’m tired,” Stretch answered. He released his tense stance and slumped into a sitting position on the floor.

“You don’t understand! The multiverse isn’t just sun, birds and flowers. You were almost dusted today! People hate us. Mercy doesn’t work and if you try to show it again you’ll die like he did.” Dust turned and shouted at him.

Stretch lay back flat. “No, I think I’m probably one of the only Papyruses that would understand. In my AU, I’m the judge. I’m the one who has to sit back and watch my Chara destroy everything I hold dear before they come for me. I’ve watched my brother die, I’ve watched my friends die and I’ve died so many times I lost count long ago. Thankfully, my Chara had a little mercy, which I wish your Frisk had shown you. Otherwise, we could be having a very different conversation right now.”

Dust stared at Stretch. He sunk down next to the other, pulling his knees into his chest. Stretch rolled onto his side and opened his arms.

“Is it ok if I hold you?” Stretch asked. Dust gave a small nod and let the other pull him onto the floor beside him. He buried his face in Stretch’s pyjama top. Warm tears dampened the fabric. 

“I’m sorry,” he cried. Stretch stroked the dusty skeleton’s skull the way he did whenever he comforted his own brother. Dust gradually calmed down under the gentle touch.

“I know you are, and your Papyrus would have forgiven you. He loved you,” Stretch said. Dust nuzzled his skull deeper into Stretch’s chest; muffled snuffling noises slowly replaced his sobs. Stretch knew the Dark Sanses had all told Dust exactly what he just had. But, had he ever had it said to him by a Papyrus? He hoped that even if he wasn’t Dust’s brother he could bring the other some peace. 

Dust relaxed into Stretch’s arms, after a while he drifted off. A quick glace around the destroyed room confirmed to Stretch that sleeping here tonight wasn’t going to be an option. He supposed he would let Dust stay in his bed tonight, Blue wouldn’t mind and he had slept on the couch plenty of times at home. 

Stretch left the room and headed down the corridor with Dust in his arms.


	5. Nightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chat with Nightmare and a cruel lesson.
> 
> This chapter is the reason for some of the more unpleasant tags, you have been warned.

Luckily, injuries from being thrown around a room by a distressed skeleton were easier to heal than those inflected by a God. Blue and Killer spent the next day drowning Stretch in healing gel while Horror prepared healing snacks. Dust had been avoiding him. Stretch hoped the other would eventually talk to him rather than just staying away; he didn’t want to be responsible for any more trauma in the dusty skeleton’s life.

After the mothering trio finally headed to bed, a cold hand closed on his shoulder.

\------

Stretch stood awkwardly in the middle of Nightmare’s office. Nightmare had dragged him in here wordlessly as soon as he had been left alone by the others. He allowed himself to sit down facing the others desk when Nightmare likewise seated himself in his work chair. 

“So, how have you enjoyed your time here?” Nightmare asked. “You’ve certainly left an impact.”

Stretch gathered himself before answering. This wouldn’t be easy to say but, he wanted to be honest with himself and Nightmare. “Everyone here is amazing; they’re kind, creative and full of life. Nothing like what I’ve heard.”

Nightmare beamed as he listened.

Stretch continued. “That’s why I need to ask a favor.” 

“A favor?” Nightmare’s smile faltered. Stretch dug his phalanges into the armrests. He had practiced this in his head but, that didn’t make it any simpler to ask. 

“Let the others go.”

Nightmare’s eye light burned. Stretch ignored it and kept going “You can’t keep using them like this. Destroying AUs will only make the multiverse hate them more. If you let them leave with me and Sans we can at least try to give them a normal life…”

Nightmare slammed a hand against his desk, cutting Stretch off. “I thought Blue explained….”

“The multiverse is endless! A few extra AUs won’t change that, you and that glitch are just destroying for your own sick pleasure. Don’t drag the others or my brother into that!” Stretch roared.

He grit his teeth and allowed his magic to swell. He had expected the other to scream back or attack him, he was ready for that. Instead, Nightmare deflated into his chair. When he raised his skull his eye light was dim, defeated.

“I knew you’d be stubborn,” he said. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and flicked through his messages. The tapping noise echoed in the quiet room. Stretch was stunned. Was Nightmare sincerely considering his request without a fight? 

Nightmare put his phone down. His eye light had become a burning inferno. “The hard way it is.” 

Nightmare casually dodged a mass of blasters which appeared and incinerated the wall behind him. Stretch used his temporary distraction to take a shortcut away.

That definitely went as well as he had expected. Reasoning with a guardian of negativity was never going to work. However, if he hadn’t at least tried his brother would have refused to leave until he did. He loved Blue to the moon and back but, you couldn’t turn everyone into a good person by talking. Sometimes, people just had to accept that.

Blue was healed now; there wouldn’t be any danger in calling Dream or Ink for backup once they were back in Underswap. They could talk about the Bluescreen problem afterwards. He and Blue could even come back for the other gang members later. Nightmare would be on his guard against them. However, he wasn’t all powerful and couldn’t stop them if he got a few other people on board with the idea.

He came out next to Blue’s bed. Blue wasn’t there. 

Stretch’s soul turned blue, smacking him flat against the floor. 

What the hell?! Nightmare couldn’t have beaten him here. Three familiar voices conversed from the shadows.

“I really don’t want to do this to him.”

“You don’t have to watch, Horror.”

“Maybe, we should tell Blue.”

“No, there’s no point getting upset you two, we just have to follow Nightmare’s orders.”

Stretch sunk deeper down. Stupid, a few days weren’t enough to change a lifetime of being someone else’s tool. Even if the Dark Sanses were good people, of course they were too scared to go against their leader for someone they just met. At the very least, it sounded like Blue was safe. Whatever Nightmare did to him he would find a way to escape and come back for his brother. He promised.

The door creaked as one of the skeleton’s in the room opened it for the dark king.

“You’re too predictable, Stretch.” Nightmare sighed. Tentacles wrapped around Stretch’s body. For the second time, he descended into the blackness of one of Nightmare’s portals. 

\-----

The other side opened into a typical Snowdin forest. Birds scattered as their quiet night was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the pair. Once he was free, Stretch unleashed a bullet storm of attacks. He was immediately shoved into the ground face first again.

“Don’t make me restrain you,” Nightmare cautioned.

Stretch jerked up, spluttering out snow. “Where are we? And why?” 

“Just a copy of the original AU. I don’t know why Ink keeps making these,” Nightmare said. He turned and strolled towards the lights of the nearby town. “As for the why, there’s only one way to find out.”

Stretch contemplated making a run for it. However, he wasn’t currently strapped onto a table in some lab or chained to the wall of a dungeon. He didn’t know if this AU was aware of the multiverse or if anyone here could open portals. Most importantly, Blue was still at the castle and potentially the only individual who could get him back there was getting further away by the second.

He followed Nightmare.

The two wandered into the heart of the town. Nightmare kept to the shadows while Stretch walked openly in the warm light that shone through the shop windows. Children bumped into him as they raced past trailing decorations. Several shook gifts trying to guess what they were getting or munched on festive cakes the shop keepers were handing out that day. The smell of the baking treats wafted on the breeze. Lovers kissed passionately as the same children gagged at them. Families trod through the lightly falling snow laden down with last minute shopping. And, in the middle of it all was a radiant Giftmas tree with a beautiful variety of homemade decorations.

Apart from a few differences, it reminded him of his own home during the holiday. The way the kids decorated the tree, occasionally wrapping the tinsel around each other for fun was especially nostalgic. 

Nightmare watched the scene with a solemn silence. The cheery light died as it encountered the shadows which shrouded him. If anyone had looked their way Stretch would have appeared to be talking to a shade between the trees. “Planning to ruin the celebration?” 

Nightmare shook his head. The simple movement carried an unsettling weight. Nightmare lifted his arm to the sky and Stretch turned to follow it.

The sky was filled with…dots? That couldn’t be right. Snow obscured the sight, but as he watched the dots grew. They expanded to reveal themselves as buildings. An inn, Grillby’s, the skelebro’s house with its twinkling fairy lights, all of Snowdin hung upside down above them. 

Many of the residents had noticed the phenomenon by now. A few, especially the children, marveled at the sight, excitedly pointing and waving at their counterparts in the town overhead. They giggled with joy as a few gifts tumbled from under the other Giftmas tree into their grasping hands. Parents comforted the more anxious ones, assuring them that this must be some kind of elaborate prank or maybe a stunt for one of Mettaton’s latest shows.

As the upturned town drew closer, the roof of the two inns began to press against each other. The lower one groaned under the weight of the higher. With a deadening crash both collapsed under the pressure. The streets rang with screams as monsters inside both structures were trapped or dusted inside. 

That broke the spell, within seconds a stampede of towns folk were fleeing for their lives. Children fought to avoid being flattened by the mob as parents scooped them into their arms. Partners screamed each other’s names, searching for them in the crowd. Toys, cakes, decorations, everything that had been important moments ago lay forgotten, trampled in the snow. Cutting through it all the cries of the trapped monsters grew weaker.

Stretch bolted towards the wreckage. He stumbled as a tentacle wrapped itself around his ankle. 

“Let go!” he called to Nightmare. “They’re stuck in there!”

“Where would you take them?” 

A counterpart Waterfall, Hotland and even New Home hung in the distant sky. Stretch’s strength drained from him as he observed the town above. The same scene played out in the sky as on the ground, the same dog guards, the same bears, the same scared monsters fleeing to a safe place that couldn’t possibly exist anymore. Rubble rained down from the other Snowdin as more buildings collided with each other. An image of teeth closing in a giant mouth sprung readily to his mind.

“Open a portal; we can evacuate them to another AU!” Stretch said. 

“That wouldn’t help.” Nightmare gestured once more. Stretch’s soul pounded against his rib-cage. A sense of dread filled him. However, he forced himself to look where the other was pointing.

The rabbit monster that normally ran the local shop lay on the ground twitching, her nephew pulled on her arm begging her to get up. 

The adult rabbit’s legs were encased in a white sticky substance. Stretch initially suspected and cursed Muffet’s spiders. However, as he watched the rabbit’s arm began to leak the same substance. Her purple fur bubbled furiously, as if a fire raged beneath the skin. It was melting her body like a candle from the inside out. The runny limb stretched, separated and fell off with a sickening splat. She sobbed, waxen tears streaming down her face as her eyes melted away. A tortured cry passed her lips as she choked on the gloop that was dissolving holes in her throat. 

“D..ust me,” she gargled “Pl...ea…se.”

Her nephew screamed as his aunt’s skull caved in on itself. A gaping hole ate its way down her face, until the head fell forward and disappeared into the puddle that had once been the rest of her body. Even without a solid form the puddle writhed and groaned in agony.

The child backed away crying for his mother, his father, anyone…then what happened to his aunt started happening to him. 

He stared at his dripping hands in terror. His own dissolving skin ran down his fur in much thicker, faster streams than his aunt’s had. The child collapsed onto the snow, muttering a prayer that it at least would be quick. 

A bone shot out of the ground, impaling his soul. The alarm on the boy’s face burned itself into Stretch’s mind before the small rabbit crumbled away.

“YOU DEMON!” the boy’s mother shrieked. She turned to Stretch with tears in her eyes “WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO OUR WORLD!?”

The poor women hadn’t even noticed the white stain creeping up her right ear. A blast of orange energy dusted her where she stood. 

With something new to add to their terror, the herd of shrieking residents fled faster. Bodies fell like burst flour bags as the deadly light tore through their ranks. Soon everyone was gone. Either evacuated to Waterfall or their remains trampled by their frenzied neighbors. Stretch and Nightmare were left alone in the abandoned, collapsing town. 

Stretch’s stomach lunged. A gentle hand rubbed his back as he fell to his knees, vomiting into the snow. “Nightmare, What did I just do?!” 

“You showed mercy.” 

Stretch continued to retch until there was nothing left. He allowed Nightmare to lift him up and steadied himself against the other’s smaller form. He spared a final sad glance back as they left the doomed AU.


	6. Negativity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A few needed answers and a choice.

A plush of Horror tumbled off the king size bed as Stretch sat up. Blue moaned at the sudden movement, clinging to his brother in his sleep. Stretch lovingly pet the other’s skull and let himself be nuzzled for a few moments. Cross was splayed across his femurs, choosing to submerge himself in his treasured dolls while he lounged on Stretch. A thin line of drool dripped from Cross’ mouth, occasionally being disturbed by his soft snores. 

Stretch delicately separated himself from the cuddle pile. His clothes from last night lay in a freshly cleaned stack at the foot of Cross’ bed. He slid into them and crept out of the room.

\-----

He was back in Nightmare’s office. The dark skeleton waited patiently for Stretch to speak while he worked on a piece of paperwork.

“So, what was that?” Stretch asked, finding it hard to look the other in the eye.

“Like Blue told you the multiverse _isn’t_ endless.” Nightmare glared at Stretch for a moment before calming himself and continuing. “As more AUs fill it up, they are forced closer together. What you saw yesterday is what happens when two get too close and collide. Normally, we would empty the less populated AU as it approaches the other and help Error destroy it, before it can demolish the second AU.”

His stomach churned again as Stretch took this in. “Why didn’t you destroy that one then?”

“Unfortunately, we’re spread a little thin. Ink’s mad creation sprees mean that Error can’t always save every AU from collision. Sometimes, when multiple emergencies happen at once, we just have to choose,” Nightmare said. 

He clasped his hands together on his desk and stared at them. In that moment, the dark skeleton looked older than Stretch had ever seen him. The gloop running down his body had slowed to a crawl; his tentacles sagged on the floor. For all the world, he reminded Stretch of an old war veteran who had seen everything and knew he was never escaping it. 

Stretch sunk into himself. “And the melting?” 

“That’s a side effect.” The embers of Nightmare’s eye light stared sadly at something far away. “When AU 1 approaches AU 2 it is attempting to occupy the same space as the other.” Nightmare clapped his hands together.

“That’s not physically possible,” he continued. “But, that doesn’t stop the AUs from trying. This phenomenon forces the residents of AU 1 to try to slip into the space occupied by their counterparts in AU 2. The result is a desperate struggle for survival between the two monsters, that pure determination to live always causes the poor souls to fall apart and melt away.”

The room fell silent. Stretch felt like he was standing on the edge of a deep ocean staring into its depths. Since he had been introduced to it, he had accepted that the multiverse existed, that there were many AUs besides his own and that good and evil were raging a constant battle within it.

However, he was realizing now that despite knowing this, he had never done more than dip his toes into it. He had never tried to dive deeper or look too far beyond his own world. Now, he could see a churning darkness below the calm waters he had taken to be the entirety of the multiverse. It pulled at his soul, threatening to drown him if he couldn’t withstand it. His mind raged against it, he wanted desperately to step away from the edge and find anything to ground himself.

The scribbling sound of Nightmare’s pen brought him back.

“What about this?” Stretch asked. He snatched the document and the notes Nightmare had been making about it. The taffy seal identified it as one of the papers Dust and Cross had stolen in Candytale. “Why do you attack AUs and steal documents? Isn’t the pain caused by killing doomed AUs enough for you?”

Nightmare set his pen down. “It’s…”

“And if you say it’s to maintain the balance without giving me a proper answer, so help me I will blast you.” Stretch snapped.

“We learn as much from negativity as from positivity. If nothing bad ever happens to a person and there’s no fear of it ever happening, why bother to change?” Nightmare asked.

Stretch responded with a confused look. Nightmare leaned back, thinking about how to explain this.

“Let’s take Candytale as an example; it used to be a pretty relaxed AU. Yet, after we attacked a few times the residents rallied together and started to fight back.” Nightmare smiled fondly, like a parent asking after a favorite child. “They’ve come a long way; tell me did they ever get rid of those silly gummy weapons?”

Rather than answer the question, Stretch opened his mouth to challenge the need for such a lesson. However, Nightmare must have recognized the expression as he kept talking. “Of course, if we got serious they wouldn’t stand much of a chance. But remember, we’re not the only threats in the multiverse. How easy do you think it is to genocide an AU that has been training for years to fight _us_?”

Stretch flinched. He glanced down at the papers in his hands. It was a report for medals of valor that had been ordered for the guards. Originally, the documents claimed that the toffee medals were of the highest quality. Nightmare had changed it to read that the awards were cheap fakes disguised well as the real thing. “And this? What’ll happen if Undyne reads it?”

Nightmare took the report back and skimmed it. “I expect she’ll be furious and the seller will most likely be given a swift thrashing.”

“You’re okay with that?!” 

“The medals _were_ fakes,” Nightmare countered. “The person who wrote this report was bribed. The guards may never have noticed but, why would that make it right? In any case, the guilty party won’t be swindling anyone else.”

Stretch was shaking. The moral ground he had always believed to be solid was crumbing under him. Still, he was afraid to let go. If he believed Nightmare he would be losing everything he had ever known to be true about the multiverse. Was he really ready to just dive into the unknown and allow it to wash away everything he had been before?

Nightmare pushed a stack of red envelopes into his hands while he was distracted. Stretch gave Nightmare a skeptical look and examined them. There were so many, some looked brand new while others had faded to a pale pink. A few had flower petals or glitter stuck to them; a couple even carried the scent of sickly sweet perfume.

“They’re love letters, a young couple have been exchanging them and I’ve been stealing them for the last month.” Nightmare said with a smug grin.

“And the reason?” Stretch asked. At this point, he guessed there must be one. 

“It’s a secret relationship; the two are terrified of admitting their feelings to their families so they’ve only been able to stay in contact by writing letters.” Nightmare leaned forward and licked his lips. “The anxiety radiating from them has been delicious but, something has to give. If they don’t get those letters back they might give up on their relationship. However, I’d like to know if their love is strong enough that they’ll finally stand up to their families and go to each other.”

Stretch stiffened in his chair as he saw where this was going. 

“If you really disapprove of me so much, I’ll give them to you,” Nightmare rested his skull on his hands, staring at Stretch as if he was a charming puzzle he was close to solving. “Blue knows the pair and can help you locate the addresses on the letters.”

The letters in his grasp suddenly felt much heavier. The hopes and dreams of a loving couple were contained in every sentence and petal. Even if he didn’t know them, he wanted them to be happy. If he returned the letters the two would be delighted. However, would anything change? Would they seek each other out or just keep denying their feelings to everyone and tell themselves this was what they wanted?

“Would their families approve?” He asked. 

Nightmare picked up his pen and started working again. “I’m not a fortune teller, Stretch. These are the moments you can only take a deep breath, lean forward and find the determination to take the plunge…or not.”

With that, Stretch left the room.

\-----

He found Blue in the kitchen. His brother was packing some red and green cakes into a box.

“Hi Papy! Horror made us some treats for the road, want one?” Blue asked. 

The sight of the cakes made Stretch nauseous. “No thanks bro, let’s just get back to our AU. I bet everyone’s been worried.” 

Blue gave him a wide grin and ran out to say his goodbyes to everyone. Stretch looked around the kitchen. He soon located what he had been searching for.

He dumped the letters in the trash before chasing after his brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know if anyone else ever described a collision like the last chapter or if Nightmare’s paperwork and motivations to attack AUs here match any other fics. These are just my own head cannon for this one. I wanted to explore the concept of maintaining the balance and it’s another main reason I wrote this fic.


	7. The End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just the end of the story.

Stretch lounged on the couch in his and Blue’s living room. He had just got back from Muffet’s and was waiting for his brother to come home. A loud crash rang out from upstairs as something fell into Blue’s room. Stretch put his honey on a side table and waited. That must be him; Blue hadn’t improved much at opening portals in the last few weeks. He was lucky he hadn’t got hurt yet.

A couple of moments later, Blue bounded down the stairs. When he hit the bottom he twirled for his brother. “It took a while, but what’d you think Papy?” He asked.

Blue’s mended Bluescreen outfit clung snugly to the skeleton. His boots gleamed, the patched black bandanna took pride of place on his arm and a fresh arsenal hung from the belt, welcome back gifts from the gang. The cleansed scarf swayed like a wave, riding the momentum of the spin. 

Stretch opened an eye socket and gave his brother a thumbs up.

“Awww come on, you can do better than that.” Blue sighed. A twinkle came into his eye lights as he recalled something. “Do you want to come with us today? Nightmare says you’re ready!”

Stretch pulled himself off the couch and gave a small smile. “Sure, why not?”

“Papy! I know you’re lazy, but this is important. Error made you an outfit and everything!” Blue slapped a hand over his mouth. “Drat! That was meant to be a surprise.”

Laughter echoed around the room as Stretch looked at his brother’s pouting face. He had wondered what those two had been plotting. Still, he was a little surprised. Error actively avoided him when he trained with the gang. He guessed there was some hope there after all.

“Well…try to act surprised,” Blue said. He rubbed his skull in thought. “What about your name? I’m Bluescreen, so maybe Shut Down or Pixel?”

No, that wouldn’t work. Blue had joined the gang because of Error, he could accept that now. However, his situation wasn’t the same. Error hadn’t shown him the depths of the multiverse or taught him how to face it with clear eyes.

Stretch reached out and opened a portal to the castle. 

“I’ll be Blood Moon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're here at the end. Thanks, I had fun writing this and I hope you had fun reading it.


End file.
